I See a Woman Crying

The video installation I See a Woman Crying (2009) was inspired by the way children approach the artworks in Tate Liverpool. On three screens, we see a group of school children looking at a reproduction of Weeping Woman (1937) by Pablo Picasso, while the painting itself remains out of the frame. Instead, the content of the work becomes visible through their reactions, emotions and words. The installation is a reflexive experience: we are looking at children who are looking.

As is typical of Dijkstra’s video work, the presentation in the space is essential. The images are projected at life size in a multi-channel arrangement, making the viewer feel like they are almost physically part of the group. A photo is an object you can look at, while a film by Dijkstra is an encounter for which you are present.

The camera registers only the faces and bodily positions of the children. None of them is looking into the lens. They remain in their own worlds, while we observe them from ours. This sober approach emphasises the nuances in body language and facial expression, their uncertainty and conviction and the silent pauses.

While in earlier video’s, the rhythm of the bodies was often dictated by ambient noises or music, here Dijkstra introduces spoken language for the first time. We hear the group gravely discussing the meaning of Picasso’s painting. Initially, they respond hesitantly to questions from an unseen accompanying adult. Gradually, a back-and-forth emerges and a dialogue takes place. Unlike in the artist’s previous works, it is not only the body but the voice that carries the image.